2002 Toyota 4RUNNER: sudden loss of power

7 of the 225 complaints about the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER describe sudden loss of power.

owner complaints: 7
of this car's complaints: 3%
typical mileage: 91,500
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 9 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Sudden loss of power by model year

2025
2
2018
2
2017
1
2015
2
2014
1
2013
1
2008
1
2006
2
2005
2
2003
3
2002
7
2001
2
2000
3
1999
6
1998
3
1997
1
1995
5
1994
3
1992
1
1990
2

What owners say

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Driver assistance, Transmission · 200,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle lost power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure initially occurred without warning; however, the VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) message was displayed with an audible beeping sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, there was a red warning light flashing on the instrument panel after the failure. The contact stated that the failure occurred mostly while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer and the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Filed Jun 23, 2016 · Driver assistance · 91,500 miles · IA

Vsc comes on randlomly, at intersections when starting out I lose all power and sometimes sit in traffic, especially when turning left.

Filed Sep 3, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 120,000 miles · TX

My 2002 toyota 4runner has a faulty throttle position sensor (part # 89452-35030) that causes loss of power while driving (at all speeds). *jb this loss of power is very dangerous as the car will be driving along at a stable speed and then suddenly just start slowing down even though my foot stays on the gas pedal. This loss of speed puts me at serious risk to be rear-ended by a car behind me or potentially get hit from the side as I am crossing an intersection. My mechanics and I have diagnosed the tps as the issue. This is a very common problem (there are multiple forums on the web about this). Here are some of them below: http://www.yotatech.com/f2/throttle-body-sensor-89452-35030-a-239929/ http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16753 http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13283 http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/118506-throttle-position-sensor.html please get toyota to issue a recall for this part. It is something that needs to get dealt with before there are more serious incidents. Thanks.

Filed Jun 9, 2013 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 10 miles · ME

Complete loss of power on acceleration if tires spin...more than one close call! Happening since vehicle was new.

Filed Sep 20, 2010 · Transmission · VT

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle began to lose power abnormally accompanied by the illumination of the check engine warning light. The contact later discovered that the aluminum radiator and the bolt that connected the coolant and transmission fluid transfer was faulty causing the two fluids to combine abnormally. The contact stated spoke with several mechanics that advised him of that the two fluids were combining. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was unavailable.

Filed Sep 20, 2010 · Engine · VT

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the vehicle abnormally began to lose power with the illumination of the check engine light. The contact stated that the aluminum radiator and the bolt that connected the coolant and transmission fluid transfer was faulty. The contact stated that the failure would cause the two liquids to combine abnormally. The contact spoke with several mechanics that confirmed the failure. The failure would cause the vehicle to operate with extremely limited power. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Nov 3, 2005 · Fuel system · 41,153 miles · AE

While driving down the interstate, the vehicle lost all power. This situation could be fatal, at highway speeds. Luckily, nobody was injured. Further investigation revealed a faulty rheostat in the throttle body of the fuel system. The rheostate failure causes the butterfly valve to close, thus not letting enough air into the intake manifold. Due to the lack of air, the engine "stalls out", causing the vehicle to decelerate very quickly. Replacement of the throttle body corrected the problem, with no further incicents occuring.